Water system
HCWSD - Georgetown
EPA ID OH3400503 · Harrison County · 242 people served · owned by a local government
HCWSD - Georgetown buys its water from Tri-county Water Authority.
The system's record
Also connected to Martins Ferry Public Water System (Ohio River valley aquifer (wells)), used as a secondary or emergency supply.
- Aquifer
- Alluvial aquifer along the Ohio River, north of Bellaire
- Water bodies
- Ohio River (via alluvial aquifer)
- Active wells
- 1
- Serves
- 26,822 people · Belmont County
- EPA ID
- OH0700412
About this area's water Belmont Co. Sanitary District 3
Did you know
- The entire supply for 26,822 people served directly - 42,742 including satellite systems - comes from a single radial collector ('Ranney') well: one shaft with horizontal arms reaching out into the Ohio River's buried…
- The well that supplies 'Belmont County' water isn't in the district's St. Clairsville home base at all - the wellfield sits inside the Village of Bellaire, and Ohio EPA found the district's protection area overlaps…
- In the 1990s Ohio EPA traced industrial solvent contamination in the wellfield to a source just south of the Ranney well, and ODOT later excavated the contaminated soil.
- Water and sewer rates rise 2.5% automatically every year under the adopted rate schedule, rather than going back to the county commissioners for a fresh vote each time.
- The district replaced a water plant built in the 1960s with a new 6 MGD plant costing roughly $27.7 million - and its 10-year plan already contemplates pushing that to 9 MGD with a new 3 MGD vertical well.
Source: belmontcountywater.combelmontcountywater.comwtrf.com
History6
- 1990sOhio EPA sampling finds VOCs in the district's water on 13 occasions: cis-1,2-dichloroethylene 11 times at 2.0-6.9 ug/L, 1,1,1-trichloroethane once at 0.6 ug/L, and cis-1,2-dichloroethene once at 1.3…
- 1997Ohio EPA leads a ground water investigation of the well field that identifies a source of VOC contamination south of the Ranney well, inside the one-year time of travel. Lawhan & Associates prepares…
- after 1997ODOT initiates a cleanup project that removes the contaminated soil. Ohio EPA's bibliography also cites IT Corporation's 1999 'Final PCE Source Identification and Contaminant Delineation Technical…
- 2000-2024No detections of 1,1,1-trichloroethane; 7 detections of cis-1,2-dichloroethylene, all below 2 ug/L - a clear decline from the 1990s.
- 2019Manganese detected once at 0.206 mg/L, above the 0.05 mg/L concentration of concern (an aesthetic secondary standard, not a health-based MCL).
- 2023A new 6 MGD water treatment plant, built with USDA financing on Guernsey Street in Bellaire and replacing a plant dating to the 1960s, is reported complete.
Source: belmontcountywater.comwtrf.combelmontcountywater.com
Treatment & pressure
How it is treated
One radial collector ('Ranney') well north of Bellaire draws from a sand-and-gravel water-rich zone in the Ohio River Buried Valley aquifer system. Ohio EPA's 2024 assessment modeled it at 4,349,000 gallons/day (the average daily rate in Ohio EPA files plus 15%); the district's own 2025 plan says…
Source: belmontcountywater.combelmontcountywater.com
Water pressure
Not published. Neither the 2025 Drinking Water Source Protection Plan nor the 2025 CCR gives system pressures, pressure zones or tank elevations.
What it costs
$7.69 per 1,000 gallons
Typical household bill about $58 a month for water.
Effective January 1, 2025: residential water minimum bill $26.92 with NO gallon allowance, plus $7.69 per 1,000 gallons; bulk users pay a flat $10.00 per 1,000 gallons. The $57.68…
Source: belmontcountywater.com
Water quality & impurities10
| Contaminant | Level | Limit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) Highest running average; range of detections 33.2-44.4 ppb. No violation. Chlorination byproduct. | 44.4 ppb | 80 | 2025 |
| Haloacetic acids (HAA5) Range 17.1-23.7 ppb. No violation. | 23.7 ppb | 60 | 2025 |
| Fluoride Range 0.89-1.19 ppm; the district fluoridates. | 1.08 ppm | 4 | 2025 |
| Lead (90th percentile) First half of 2025: 90th percentile 1.75 ppb with no action-level exceedance, but 2 of 60 individual samples came back… | 1.75 ppb | 15 (action… | 2025 |
| Nitrate Well below the MCL. | 0.555 ppm | 10 | 2025 |
| Manganese Single detection above the secondary/aesthetic concentration of concern, per Ohio EPA's source water assessment. Not a… | 0.206 mg/L | 0.05 | 2019 |
| cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene (VOC) Detected 11 times in 1990s sampling; well under the MCL but the trigger for Ohio EPA's 1997 wellfield investigation. | 2.0-6.9 ug/L | 70 (federal MCL) | 1990s |
| cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene (VOC) 7 detections since 2000, all below 2 ug/L. | <2 ug/L | 70 (federal MCL) | 2000-202… |
| 1,1,1-Trichloroethane (VOC) Detected once in the 1990s; not detected in any sample from 2000 through 2024. | 0.6 ug/L | 200 (federal… | 1990s |
| Combined radium 226/228 Radium 228 result; gross alpha was 0.112 pCi/L against a 15 pCi/L MCL. | 0.668 pCi/L | 5 | 2020 |
Source: belmontcountywater.combelmontcountywater.com
EPA compliance record · HCWSD - Georgetown
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 5.1 ppb in 2025 (action level 15 ppb).
EPA record: no health-based violations since 2015.
1 violation of any kind logged since 2020: 1 for a report, record or notice that was missing, late or incomplete (the yearly water quality report, a public notice, lead line records).
EPA compliance record · Belmont Co. Sanitary District 3 (treats the water)
Lead at the tap: 90th-percentile result 0 ppb in 2026 (action level 15 ppb).
EPA health-based violations since 2015:
- 2024Lead and Copper Rule Revisions · lead service line inventory missing or incomplete (a records requirement, not a lead test result) · returned to compliance
4 violations of any kind logged since 2020: 1 for required testing that was missed or reported late; 2 for a report, record or notice that was missing, late or incomplete (the yearly water quality report, a public notice, lead line records); 1 health-based.
Projects & plans12
Recent and current work
- New 6 MGD water treatment plant, Guernsey Street, Bellaire · $28 million · 2023 · completed
Construction cost from the district's own USDA project sheet, which showed it 15% complete when posted (2021). WTRF reported the finishing touches complete in… - Waterline Phase I - about 3 miles of new 24-inch and 16-inch main · $3.1 million · 2021
USDA-funded. Listed at 55% complete on the district's project sheet (posted June 2021); no later status published. - Waterline Phase II - about 4.4 miles of 24-inch main replacement · $6.7 million · 2021
USDA-funded. Listed at 45% complete on the district's project sheet (posted June 2021). - Little McMahon Road pump station · $1.3 million · 2021
USDA-funded; 15% complete when the project sheet was posted. - Meter reading system · $2.3 million · 2021
USDA-funded; 5% complete when the project sheet was posted. - Service building addition (1,580 sq ft locker room, office, break room) · $524,000 · 2021
Listed at 0% complete on the district's project sheet. - Fox-Shannon wastewater plant upgrades · $8.2 million · 2021
USDA sanitary sewer project; the sheet says construction was to begin May 24 (year not stated on the sheet, posted June 2021). Fox-Shannon is the district's… - Wastewater transmission system upgrade · $549,980 · 2021
70% complete when the project sheet was posted.
Source: belmontcountywater.comwtrf.comtimesleaderonline.com
Planned or needed
- Water district 10-year capital improvement plan · $30 million · planned
About $30 million. Includes increasing well capacity with a 3 MGD vertical well, increasing plant capacity from 6 to 9 MGD, an additional 24-inch main from the… - Sewer district 10-year capital improvement plan · $8 million · planned
About $8 million: replacing the Zinni, Arco, Montclair, Stop 32, Rustic, Boydsville, Stewarts, Stop 51, Days Inn, Stobbs Estates and Reicharts lift stations… - Periodic Source Water Protection Plan review · 2027 · planned
The district commits to reviewing and updating the protection plan every 3 years, beginning November 1, 2027. - Emergency water supply connection · planned
The contingency plan's response to a source-water shortage or contamination is to 'activate an existing emergency connection to another public water system or…
Supply stress
Ohio EPA rates the source HIGH susceptibility to contamination, for five stated reasons: a relatively permeable layer of silty clay and fill overlying the aquifer; shallow aquifer depth (less than 20 feet below ground surface); past identification of VOC-contaminated soils within the one-year time of travel; significant potential…
Sewers
Sanitary
The Belmont County Water & Sewer District bills sanitary sewer alongside water (2025: $49.71 minimum plus $8.52 per 1,000 gallons, with the same automatic 2.5% annual escalator). The district's own capital sheets name the Fox-Shannon wastewater plant and a Pennwood package plant, plus a large inventory of lift stations (Zinni, Arco…
Storm
The district's rate schedule contains no storm water charge, and we found no storm sewer service described for it.
Source: belmontcountywater.combelmontcountywater.combelmontcountywater.com
Sourcesverified
Compiled from the utility's own reports and public records, then independently re-checked against primary sources.
Present in 1 ZIP code
Serves
No ZIP code has HCWSD - Georgetown on record as its main water supplier.
Also present in 1 more ZIP code
- 43907 · Cadiz2% of residents
Population-weighted resident shares; a ZIP code can have more than one system on record. Recomputed from each ZIP's own system list, not from the map's cached footprint.
Buys from · Sells to
HCWSD - Georgetown buys its water from Tri-county Water Authority, which buys from Belmont Co. Sanitary District 3.
No other system is on record buying water from HCWSD - Georgetown.
What the records show about HCWSD - Georgetown
Who runs it
EPA's record describes HCWSD - Georgetown as owned by a local government. It has 99 service connections and serves 242 people.
EPA classes it as a community water system, one that serves the same residents all year.
Its office telephone on EPA's record is 740-942-0411.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), water system record.
How the water is treated
HCWSD - Georgetown buys water that Belmont Co. Sanitary District 3 treats first, so the steps that count are the seller's. EPA's treatment table registers these steps for Belmont Co. Sanitary District 3: corrosion control, chlorine disinfection, fluoridation, ion-exchange softening, and sand or media filtration.
The list is what each system registered with EPA for treatment plants EPA still shows as active, and it can lag a plant upgrade.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) treatment table (EPA Envirofacts, pulled September 2026).
Violations
EPA's record shows no health-based violations for HCWSD - Georgetown since 2015.
EPA logs 1 violation of any kind since 2020: 1 for a report, record or notice that was missing, late or incomplete (the yearly water quality report, a public notice, lead line records).
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) violation records: health-based violations with compliance periods beginning in 2015 or later, all violations from 2020 or later (EPA Envirofacts, pulled September 2026).
Lead and copper at the tap
In the sampling period ending December 2025, the 90th-percentile lead result at HCWSD - Georgetown was 5.1 ppb, under both the current 15 ppb action level and the 10 ppb level that applies from 2027.
The highest result on file is 6.2 ppb, in the period ending December 2023.
EPA has 6 sampling periods on file for HCWSD - Georgetown since 2016, the first ending in 2018; no period was above 10 ppb.
Every water system has to inventory its service lines, the pipes from the main to each building. In the inventory HCWSD - Georgetown sent EPA, 113 lines are counted.
| Material | Lines |
|---|---|
| Lead | 0 |
| Galvanized, needing replacement | 0 |
| Unknown material | 22 |
| Not lead | 91 |
| All lines | 113 |
Systems sample taps in the homes most likely to have lead pipes or solder. The 90th-percentile result is the level nine in ten of the sampled homes were at or below. Lead comes mostly from service lines and house plumbing, not the source water, so a low result for the system does not clear an old house.
EPA's dashboard status for this inventory: reported all required service line types.
Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) lead and copper 90th-percentile results (EPA Envirofacts), sampling periods ending 2016 or later; EPA's service line inventory dashboard, Ohio's 2026 Q2 submission.
PFAS
The water HCWSD - Georgetown buys is treated by Belmont Co. Sanitary District 3, so the results below are Belmont Co. Sanitary District 3's.
EPA's fifth national round of testing (UCMR 5) took 3 samples of the water entering the pipes of Belmont Co. Sanitary District 3 in 2023 and measured 29 PFAS. No PFAS was detected, PFOA and PFOS (federal limit 4 ng/L each) among them.
Ohio EPA's own statewide sampling tested 1 plant of Belmont Co. Sanitary District 3 (latest sample June 2020). Not one of the six PFAS tested (PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, PFNA, GenX and PFBS) was detected.
Ohio EPA's current sampling status map lists 2 plants of Belmont Co. Sanitary District 3 as sampled, most recently February 2026.
PFAS are the 'forever chemicals' from firefighting foam, plating shops and non-stick coatings. Results are for water leaving the plant, not your tap.
Source: EPA UCMR 5 occurrence data (final release, August 2026); Ohio EPA statewide PFAS sampling, 2019 to 2021, and its sampling status map.
Disinfection byproducts
Chlorine that disinfects water also reacts with organic matter to form byproducts. Two groups have federal limits: total trihalomethanes (TTHM, 80 µg/L) and five haloacetic acids (HAA5, 60 µg/L), judged on running yearly averages at each sampling site.
For TTHM, the average of HCWSD - Georgetown's samples in 2019, the last year it was sampled, was 21 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 52.2 µg/L and the highest single sample was 52.2 µg/L, from 7 samples taken from 2013 to 2019.
For HAA5, the average in the last year sampled was 21.8 µg/L. The worst yearly average was 21.8 µg/L and the highest single sample was 21.8 µg/L, from 7 samples.
| Byproduct | Limit | Latest yearly average | Worst yearly average | Highest sample | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTHM | 80 µg/L | 21 µg/L (2019) | 52.2 µg/L | 52.2 µg/L | 7 |
| HAA5 | 60 µg/L | 21.8 µg/L | 21.8 µg/L | 21.8 µg/L | 7 |
A yearly average of 0 means nothing was detected in that year's samples. EPA's file stops at 2019; Ohio EPA's Drinking Water Watch has newer results.
Source: EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, distribution-system samples (non-detects counted as zero).
Nitrate, arsenic and radioactivity
The water HCWSD - Georgetown buys is treated by Belmont Co. Sanitary District 3, so the results below are Belmont Co. Sanitary District 3's.
Nitrate: the highest of 7 samples was 1.86 mg/L (as nitrogen) in 2017; in 2019, the last year sampled, the highest was 1.03 mg/L. No sample was over the limit of 10 mg/L. Nitrate above 10 is unsafe for infants.
Arsenic was not detected in 2 samples (limit 10 µg/L).
| Contaminant | Samples | Highest result | Limit | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrate (as nitrogen) | 7 | 1.86 mg/L | 10 mg/L | 0 |
| Arsenic | 2 | not detected | 10 µg/L | 0 |
Measured in finished water: at the plant's entry points and in the distribution system; raw well and intake samples are left out. Non-detects count as zero.
Source: EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, finished water of Belmont Co. Sanitary District 3.
Solvents and fuels
The water HCWSD - Georgetown buys is treated by Belmont Co. Sanitary District 3, so the results below are Belmont Co. Sanitary District 3's.
EPA's file holds results for all six solvent and fuel compounds it checked. Benzene, carbon tetrachloride, 1,2-dichloroethane, trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, and vinyl chloride were not detected in 6 samples each.
| Compound | Limit | Samples | Detected in | Highest result | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benzene | 5 µg/L | 6 | 0 of 6 | not detected | 0 |
| Carbon tetrachloride | 5 µg/L | 6 | 0 of 6 | not detected | 0 |
| 1,2-dichloroethane | 5 µg/L | 6 | 0 of 6 | not detected | 0 |
| Trichloroethylene (TCE) | 5 µg/L | 6 | 0 of 6 | not detected | 0 |
| Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) | 5 µg/L | 6 | 0 of 6 | not detected | 0 |
| Vinyl chloride | 2 µg/L | 6 | 0 of 6 | not detected | 0 |
"Not detected" means the lab's result was below what its method can measure, not that the compound is absent. Non-detects count as zero in the highest-result column.
Source: EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, finished water of Belmont Co. Sanitary District 3.
Farm chemicals and metals
The water HCWSD - Georgetown buys is treated by Belmont Co. Sanitary District 3, so the results below are Belmont Co. Sanitary District 3's.
EPA's file holds results for 8 of the nine herbicides and metals it checked. Detected: barium in 1 of 2 samples, highest 23.5 µg/L (limit 2,000). Not detected: atrazine, alachlor, chromium, cadmium, mercury, selenium, and thallium, in 2 samples each.
| Substance | Kind | Limit | Samples | Detected in | Highest result | Samples over limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atrazine | Farm chemical | 3 µg/L | 2 | 0 of 2 | not detected | 0 |
| Alachlor | Farm chemical | 2 µg/L | 2 | 0 of 2 | not detected | 0 |
| Chromium | Metal | 100 µg/L | 2 | 0 of 2 | not detected | 0 |
| Cadmium | Metal | 5 µg/L | 2 | 0 of 2 | not detected | 0 |
| Barium | Metal | 2,000 µg/L | 2 | 1 of 2 | 23.5 µg/L | 0 |
| Mercury | Metal | 2 µg/L | 2 | 0 of 2 | not detected | 0 |
| Selenium | Metal | 50 µg/L | 2 | 0 of 2 | not detected | 0 |
| Thallium | Metal | 2 µg/L | 2 | 0 of 2 | not detected | 0 |
Non-detects count as zero in the highest-result column.
Source: EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, finished water of Belmont Co. Sanitary District 3.
Bacteria in the pipes
From 2012 to 2019, 0 of 94 routine total coliform samples taken in the distribution system at HCWSD - Georgetown tested positive (0%); in 2019, the last year on file, 0 of 12 did. E. coli was never found in the 32 samples tested for it.
A positive coliform test is a warning sign, not a violation by itself. E. coli is a sign that human or animal waste may have reached the water. Coliform counts are routine samples only; E. coli counts include repeat samples.
Source: EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, distribution-system presence/absence tests for total coliform and E. coli.
Fluoride
The Ohio Department of Health's report to the CDC (My Water's Fluoride) says HCWSD - Georgetown buys its water from Belmont Co. Sanitary District 3, a system that adjusts the fluoride level to the recommended level for preventing tooth decay.
EPA's treatment table lists fluoridation among the steps at Belmont Co. Sanitary District 3, which treats the water HCWSD - Georgetown buys.
Measured fluoride: 1 mg/L on average leaving the plants of Belmont Co. Sanitary District 3, which supplies HCWSD - Georgetown, in 2017 (in the range dentists aim for); samples ran from 0.98 to 1 mg/L across 2 samples in 2012 to 2019.
The recommended level for preventing tooth decay is 0.7 mg/L; the federal limit is 4 mg/L. The treatment list is what each system registered with EPA and can lag a plant upgrade.
Source: CDC My Water's Fluoride (fluoridation status as reported by the Ohio Department of Health, fetched September 2026); EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) treatment table; EPA Six-Year Review 4 compliance monitoring data, 2012 to 2019, entry-point fluoride samples.
Lithium
Lithium was not detected in 2 UCMR 5 samples at Belmont Co. Sanitary District 3, which supplies HCWSD - Georgetown, last sampled in 2023 (the method reports from 9 µg/L).
Lithium is not regulated. EPA's draft health reference level is 10 µg/L, and it occurs naturally in deep groundwater, so well systems in the northwest run highest.
Source: EPA UCMR 5 occurrence data (final release, August 2026), samples from 2023 to 2025.
How well the service area is mapped
The service area drawn on the map for HCWSD - Georgetown comes from the utility's own map.
Source: EPA Service Area Boundaries; resident estimate by this atlas from ZIP-code overlap.
On the map
Show this system's territory on the map — 1 ZIP code in all.
Sources
U.S. EPA SDWIS and Community Water System Service Area Boundaries (v3, 2026), Ohio EPA primacy data, 2020 census blocks: the system serving most residents, traced through purchases to the treating utility; Ohio EPA 2023 Sewer and Water Rate Survey (Ohio State, May 2025) for household bills; Ohio EPA DEFA loan awards since 2016 for the loans paragraph · EPA SDWIS · EPA service area boundaries · Ohio EPA drinking water · Ohio EPA rate survey
EPA's own record for this system: Enforcement and Compliance History report for OH3400503 (EPA ECHO).
